The Kentucky Wildcats have been a doormat in the SEC the last three years, but they’re working on changing that.

The Wildcats are seen by many as a basketball school in a football conference; they’re trying to change that perception, too.

Saturday’s 59-14 season-opening win over UT Martin was a great start. The Wildcats started fast and ended faster, holding leads of 14-0 through one quarter, 35-0 at halftime and 52-0 through three quarters. Best of all, the Cats were the only SEC game in town when they took the field at high-noon Saturday, debuting as the first Saturday game televised on the brand-new SEC Network.

With a larger-than-normal audience taking in the game, Kentucky showed it has turned the page from its phase as the lovable losers of the SEC to a new era in Lexington under head coach Mark Stoops.

“(The win) was important for our team and for our fan base and our administration, a lot of people that have worked awfully hard to push this program where we want it to go,” Stoops said after the game. “It was important to have a good start, for our team, I thought, and obviously, most importantly to our group and our team because they have worked hard.”

RELATED VIDEO: Highlights: Kentucky vs. UT Martin

The Cats showed the nation they have athleticism on their roster like they’ve never had before.

Tailback Braylon Heard only touched the ball twice, but scored two touchdowns from 73 and 43 yards out. Fellow tailback Mikel Horton also ran for two touchdowns in his UK debut.

Safety A.J. Stamps matched the total number of interceptions by Kentucky’s secondary in 2013 (1) with his dazzling, one-handed interception of UT Martin quarterback Dylan Favre in the first half Saturday.

Receiver Blake Bone danced around a handful of Skyhawks defenders on his way to a 29-yard touchdown off a screen pass from quarterback Patrick Towles.

Towles threw for 377 yards in just three quarters of action, and ran in a 23-yard touchdown on a QB keeper off a play-fake in the backfield.

And all of this took place as UK’s best players were silenced most of the game. Senior left tackle Darrian Miller was suspended for Saturday’s game, but it didn’t stop the offensive line from dominating without him. The Cats rushed for more than 200 yards as a team, and Towles was not sacked in his debut as the starter.

Bud Dupree, who Stoops said will be a first round pick in next year’s NFL Draft, had just four tackles and no sacks against a smaller UT Martin defensive line.

Javess Blue, the team’s top wideout last season, had just one catch for positive yardage, and it came on the first drive of the game.

UK won by 45 and looked good doing it, even without major contributions from its star players, leaving Stoops more than pleased with his team’s performance and the statement it made.

“Good start obviously.Very pleased with the team’s effort. I felt good,” Stoops said. “… We came out and we wanted to start fast. We did. The guys were very energetic, but yet we went out and played with good poise.”

And as it turns out, the team’s performance against UT Martin made a statement to the head coach himself, who didn’t know what to expect from an incredibly young team with more than 20 players making their collegiate debuts.

“You never really truly know what you have. It’s good to get that first game and get out there and play and see how (the players) are going to handle things and see what it’s like in a game day environment,” Stoops said. “I do think we are going to improve.”

The Cats first chance to improve will come this weekend when Frank Solich’s Ohio Bobcats come to town. Kickoff at Commonwealth Stadium is scheduled for 2 PM ET.